The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate examination reports and failure to address possible evidence of left knee instability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the January 2015, October 2015, May 2016, September 2017, and February 2019 VA examinations were inadequate for rating purposes due to lack of functional loss estimates and failure to address left knee instability.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic arthritis of the left knee, Chronic strain of the lumbosacral spine, Chronic left ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26013837
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26013837.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of April 19, 2010, for a 10 percent disability rating for post-traumatic arthritis of the left knee and a 20 percent disability rating for other impairment of the left knee.
- Denied
The Veteran's chronic strain of the lumbosacral spine prior to September 6, 2017 is currently rated at 10 percent and not higher.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of both arms and legs, finding that his conditions did not meet the criteria for SMC(k), SMC(l), or any other applicable rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's left ankle disability is characterized by moderate limitation of motion during the appeal period, and he has had a 10 percent rating for the entire appeals period. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected chronic left ankle strain.
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